Sewage treating apparatus



Mtch, 1936. C, E KEEFER Er AL Re. 19,878

SEWAG'E' TREATING APPARATUS Original'Fled June 9,` 1931 2 Sheets-snee?I 2 lll gmtwf CLARENCE KEEFER FRANK CWACHTER dumm Reissued Mar'. 3, 1936 Re.A Y19.878

UNITED STATES PA'riazN'r oFF-lcs N SEWAGE TREATING APPARATUS Clarence E. Reefer and Frank CrWaohtel', Baltimore, Md., asslgnors to The Dorr Company, Inc.,.New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaoriginal No. 1,892,683," dated .Imam s, 193s,

Serial No. 543,131, June 9, 1931.

Application mr am ombelzr, 1933, serial N. 694,648 l 1s claims. (ci. zio-z) .io tation tank having driven m vtherein for impelling solids settlinginthe tank. to a sludgey discharge outlet. These mechanisms are sometimes' propelled through the medium of ll abovethedigesteroovertobedrivenbya'suitable ,A'trussedbridgeextends across the for.

Y end of the vertical Shaft andforsupporting thedriving motor mechanism.

'- s0' with me present ndencymward besuuryins sewagetreating it has become'desirable to redesignthe digesters used therein to eliminate therefrom the present unsightly truss construction. Therefore one object of this invention is to meet that requirement in digesters or sedimgitation apparatus.

Vlowever, to eliminate the trussesis not as easy `as it mslappear because it has entailed a redesign and-a y" of many ofthe dibe said to comprise means for supporting the inner edges of a'substantialiy annular digester top, for instance: A center shaft, pier, orcolumn, in the dlgester arranged to support a framework which. bymeans of hangers therefrom, in turn supports the inner ends 'of digester roof-bearing members whose outer ends are supported by the digester wall. This invention is broad enough to comprehend other features which comprise an to readily conform 'to the above described roof design, and which also may comprise a housing for the pier, or extenslonsthereof, and the motivati'ng elements of the sludge discharge mechanism. This housing is preferably supported from said pier.

. 'Ihe arrangement of sludge discharge mecha.

con-

gester elements. Accordingly this invention may arrangement of sludge-discharging mechanisms.

directlyor indirectly from the central pier. The

drum carries sludge scrapers or impellers extending from its lower portion, It may also have scrum breakers extending from its upper portion. 'Iheideabeingthatthepierisusedjointly to support the motivating devices and to support v the re'volulile drum encircling said pier for carrying the sludge impellers.

The'invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings by showing one embodiment of our inventlom This embodimet is used for illustrative purposes only for ob busly. many changes and can be made therein-v without departingfrom the spirit of our invention as described herein and pointed out in the appended claims. The embodiment chosen forthis purpose is a sewage digester but the invention is' capable of other uses, such as in sedimentation appai'ahis generallyg-so the use o f the invention isnotintendedtobelimitedto any specific neld. Inthedrawings, Fig. l isavertical sectional view'throh our sewage digester, with partsbroienaway. w Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along lines II-lI ln Fig. 1 while Fig. 3 is a'vertical sectional view taken along lines lIl-IlI in Fig. 1. Pig. 4' is a plan view of the digester with parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines V-V in Fig. 4.

So that the invention may be more clearly understood the parts shown in the accompanying drawings will be The numeral Il indicates a sedimentation apparatus such as a sewege dlgester. Il indicates the side or boundary. wallsv thereof and Il its bottom. il indicates a sludge discharge' hODper, preferably annular in shapehaving a sludge outlet I5. I6 indicates a shaft, column, or pier upstandingv from the digester bottom. In large sizes of tanks, a concrete pier is preferred but in smaller sizes a metal shaft can be used.

'Ihe manner of constructing and supporting the dlgester top l'l forms an important part of this invention so it will now be described. The principle thereof is to have either the central pier 'Il or an extension thereof, support a framework.- or slings depend from said framework and support inner ends of roof beams, the v other ends of which nd a bearing upon the di- Y gester walls I2. More particularly, the column or pier I l is provided with an extension I8. In smaller sise's of dlgesters, the pier or shaft itself can extend abovethe dlgester top sufilciently to directly support the framework but in the embodiment shown themetal extension I8 is used. Ilnsextensionisformedofvarious shapedbeamsf55 Fig. Il su'iiicient strength. 22 indicates a reinforcing to withstand oompressional strains put on the extension ee, be described hereinafter. 'me

top franiwiil supported by the pier Il, or its from are compression beams or spreaders 22 while 29 indicates hanger beams or straps or sling members depending from the webs 26 of4 the top framework,l which arearranged to sup'- port the digester roof. 4A roof 3l may be provided over the top framework, and a housingv il or side walls may be provided to enclose the pier extension Il and the top framework to make it more sightly and to protect it from the weather.

. 'I'he digester roof is formed of beams 32 preferably radially arranged from the pier it having their outer ends resting on the digester boundary wall or walls I2. Adiacentto the inner ends of the said top beams I2, they are secured to the hangers 29 whereby their inner ends may thus be supported. Some of the ytop beams 32 or extensions 38 thereof,l extendl inwardly and terminate adjacent to the pier I8 to form a platform encircling the pier IO and within the housing Il. These top beams I2 may have chordal bracing beams 31 for making the *digester top between .(Flg. 4).

structure more rigid. Over thetop beams '32 is placed some top structure such as concrete 34. Concrete "may also be used in the housing'll to encase the hangers 2s and plates #C there- Having thus described tbe eonstriietien er our digester top whereby the use-of the usual trusses are eliminated, there will be now described I the arrangement of sludge discharge mechanism contemplated by this invention adapted to co- `iperate with the central column or pier, since that pier serves such an important function in our digester top design. i

Solids settled by sedimentation in a sedimentation apparatus such as a digester, are usually im- .pelled toward a central annular sludge ldischarge hopper or outlet. by -means of substantially radial arms 40 carrying rakes Il presenting a curved face to the sludge. Similarly in digesters, radial scum-breaking -arms l4,2 are provided adjacent the top'of the'digester. The radial arms 40 and l2 heretofore have usually been rotated by a supporting vertical However, in the present design of-digester top which requires a central support', the central vertical shaft cannot be used. In lieu thereof, this invention involves-,the use of a revoiuble s hell ory drum 4I encirclingthe stationary column'or pier Ii. 'I'he drummay be apertured as at 4I in order to lighten it without sacrificing strength and it may be appropriately reinforced either longitudinallyas at Il or annular-ly, or both, to withstand thrust or compressional tendencies from the 'rake arms 4l. 'Thejrum is hung or depends from a support adjaceitits upper end fromv whence it is driven bya suitable motor and gearing locatedin juxtapositionA thereto. That iste say.

shaft driven from above the .i a motor is suitably connected to a speed re- 'ducer 4l and drives a gear I1, such as a worm gear, meshing with a coacting bull or ring-gear llsecuredtothedrumll. Thisring-gearllis iioated upon pier-supported anti-friction bearings. that is, the ring-gearis suitably moimted for rotation upon ball or roher-bearings supported on a casting. ld carried by the pier Il. The pier and the drum ofthe sludge discharge mechanism nllor close the aperture gin the digester top. To prevent gas from the dlgester creeping up along the drum 43, one or more water or oil-seals may be provided such as an inner and an outer-water seal provided at 5| and I2 respectively.

The' location of the motor and-its. gearing is considered important in that it owes its support to the central pier il. f

It will thus be seen that by means of this in- 'ventiona sewage digester is provided from which the present unsightly trusses have been eliminated and wherein an attractive housing takes their place. The arrangement of the top with its central column having the combined functions of supporting the digester top beams and the sludge discharge mech produces an efiicient digester which is alsol reasonable in its construction costs.

It will be manifest that the digester construc-A tion is such as to provide a receiving and holding space for sewage sludge while undergoing digestion and that within the digester under the roof thereof and'immediately above the body of sludge undergoing digestion there is left` what is frequently referred toas a gas receiving and collecting space. From the foregoing it will be noted that the casting' Il which is carried by the pier i6 in fact constitutes the main supporting mem- ,berof a turntable construction or assembly, and

that this main member provides an annular raceway or bearing along which anti-friction rollers run and whereby the annular -buli ring gear 4lf Lwhich may be referredv to as a movably supported turntable member-is rotatably .supported and guided through the intermediary lof said antifriction rollers.

It win be noted that tbe eenstmetien described in fact provides a means extending upwardly from the apex portion of said.pier through the space within the annularraceway and more particularly through the annular bull ring gear or movably supported turntable member -to the region'of the top. or roof -of the digester whereby the centralA or apertured section of the apertured top or roof derives support from the pier. Also that .the stationarily mounted motor and the speed reducingand power transmitting mechanism between the rotor of the mbtor and the rotatable turntable member or annular bull ring gear derive support by or from, said pier. I

It will be also noted that the depending drum pier-encircling structure and may be referred to as a vertically-extending rotatable arm carrying structure or-element that turns about a vertically-extending axisand that provides means by which the laterally or outwardlyxextending 460 or revolving shell 43 may be broadly viewed as a tends -andgeperates through the spree lett between the pier on the one hand and the section i 4other hand, and that'said rotatable arm' carryvdening the apertured portion of the topfon the ing structure 4l also carries what may be ne 75 ferre'd to as a closure member, as a top member or as a sealing cap and'which is provided by a member having an annular top or cap portion with marginal or outer and central or inner depending iianges that dip into liquid whereby-a gas-tight liquid type of seal is provided as between said rotatable carrying structure and the 'cling structure 43 serves as a sole member through the medium of whichthe radial scum arms 42 and the radial sludge discharge or solids raking A arms 40 are carried and rotated. In other words, this drum or pier-encirling structure 43 carries the entire weight and transmits all of the turning forces-required for the carrying of the arms mentioned and for the turning oi' the same about the pier. The arms 40 and theiraking blades 4I carried thereby constitute what is referred to as bladed arms constituting settled solids raking elements. They function incident to a turning thereof about the pier to eect a transfer or impelling o1' settled. solids from diverse sections of the digester or tank bottom into the hopper Il constituting a settled solids receiving section from which the solids pass through the discharge pipe I5. f

We claim: g

1. A digester having in combination, aboundary wall, a bottom provided with a sludge outlet, a stationary pier u from the digester bottom, a frame element supported from said pier above the digester, a plurality oi' tension members depending from said frame, a plurality of beams with one end thereof supported by said boundary wall andthe other end thereof secured to one of said tension members, digester top sustained by said beams, rotatable settled sludge raking m encircling said pier, and av motor `mechanism supportedfrom said pier above saiddigester for driving said sludge raking means.

-2. The structure according to claim 1 in which said beams extend radially from said pier.

3. The structure according to claim 1 in which said top is annular and encircles said pier, and said framesupports a housing adapted to enclose the central'opening of said annular top.

4. A digester having in combination a boundary` wan, a bottom` provided with a. sludge discharge outlet, a pier u/ from said bottom,'a raftered frame Supported from said` pier above the digester, substantially horizmtal compression members extending betwem said frame and said pier, reinforcements embodied in said pier to withstand comp of said pier by said members, sling devices co-acting with said frame, beams supported at -one end hun said sling devices and at'the other end by said wall, a digester top sustained by said benna. rotatable means for causing diied sludge to discharge from said outlet and motor-means external of said digester for rotating said rotatable means.

5. TheV structure according to claim 4 with the addition of chordal braces betweenv said beams. W

6; A sewage digester having in combination a boundary wall, an apertured top having its periphery supported from'said wall, a sludge discharge outlet though the bottom of said digester, a stationary central pier projecting through said apertured top and supporting said top, a sludge raking mechanism operating through said apertured top for impelllng settled sludge to said outlet, and motor means for propelling said sludge raking mechanism, said pier and said sludge raking means closing the aperture in said top.

7. A sewage digester having a bottom, an enclosing wall, an apertured top having its periphery bearing upon said wall, a sludge outlet, a central pier extending above said digester through said apertured top, a rotatable drum encircling said pier, sludge raking mechanism carried by said drum, motor mechanism for rotating said drum; and means for supporting said top and said motor mechanism from said pier comprising tension elements from which said top depends, and a frame on said pier from which said tension-elements depend, said motor mechanism owing its support to one of said elements.

8. A sewage digester having a bottom. a boundary wall, an apertured top having its periphery supported from said wall, a sludge outlet in said bottom, a central pier extending above -said digester top, 'a drum rotatably suspended from said pier, sludge raking mechanism carried by said drum, motor mechanism supported from said pier above said apertured top for rotating ,said drum, and a frame for supporting the inner on said drum, a motor adjacent to said pier lofor a sedimentation tank comprlsingan upstanding pier in the tank, a anged ring rotatably mounted on said`pier, a drum depending from said ring, a motor deriving support from said pier, a driving gear connection between said motor and saidring for rotating said ring and its depending drum, and sludge rakes operated b rotation of said drum.

14. A sludge vdischarge mechanism for sedimentation -tanks comprising an upstanding pier in the taak, a rotatable drum-likt element supported from and encircling vsaid pier, sludge rakes operated by rotation of said drum, a ring gear associated with said drum, a stationary motor deriving support from said pier, and a gear connection between said stationary. motor and 'saidringgearior the mediumotsaidrlnggear. 1

l5. Apparatus of comprising a sedimentation tank. an Ullltlndilllpier in the said tank,l a rotatable element from and encircling said pier. sludge rakes operated by rotation oi said element, a ring associated with said element. a platiorm mountedtrom'said pier,

'tankhavingaboundarywalLabottomonwhich' a stationary motor deriving support from said platform, and-a drive connection between said motor'and said ring` 'for rotating said element through-the medium of said ring.

4lil. sedimentation apparatus provided withi a settling solids can accumulate formed with a dkcharge section. a pier upstanding from said bottom,andmechanism!orimpellingthesolidsset tiedonthetankbottomtosaiddischargeseetion, comprising in operative' relationship a stationary motor;` a speed reducing arrangement driven by said motor: a turntable assembly lderiving supa mavo port from said pier an annular bearing member through above which said pier extends: a pier-encircling structure carried by and depending from the 'rotatably supported .bearing member oi' the rotatable .turntable assernblage, settled solids engaging devices travellable with said rotatably supported turntable bearing member including free outer ended arms lextending laterallyand supported from said deing `arrangement derive support from said pier, v and below which framework there is located said settled solids engaging devices. i

cmnnncmnxmm. 90'

FRANK Q WACHTER. 

